Late Night Dream Catchers
by Pretty Jacque
Summary: Highschool girls Red and Raven are given the option to save the minds of millions by becoming Dream Catchers. But are they ready for the prices they'll pay? How much sacrifice is too much? Soon, they realize being the hero isn't always the right choice. [yaoi]
1. Chapter 1

This girl I see…she's just about my age. Her hair is long and glossy. It's on the fine line between gold blond and soft caramel. She's wearing pink silk pajamas. Her bare feet make loud slaps on the black and white tile floor.

Does she even know what she's running from? I don't. Maybe she's just trying to escape this scary limbo, this place of no meaning. The shadows lazily dance all around her and the black and white tile patterns distort even _my_ sense of direction.

Finally she stops, staring at something. I see it's a neon exit sign, the only thing even remotely humane in this place. She runs to the door only indicated by a silver handle and opens it. If I could gasp, I would have the moment she stepped out…because that door lead to utter chaos.

The world was gray. Only two streaks of gold and blue cut through that gray. Sounds of metal scraping deafened me.

From my view, I couldn't make out what she was seeing, but it clearly upset the girl.

"Stephano! Don't!" she cried out.

"It's too much for him," said a voice.

I looked back to the girl's side to see what looked like an androgynous person. His/Her tussled hair was as white as his/her albino skin. He/She wore a skin-tight suit that was equally white with silver accents "And he came here knowing he'd be taking this risk."

"What do we do?" stuttered the girl, tears brimming her eyes.

"What I've been saying all along," he/she said "Become a Dream Catcher…"

I screamed as I suddenly made blunt contact with my bedroom floor. I could hear my alarm clock blaring off at the speakers.

Well, I guess it's time to start my day.

* * *

"_There are no monsters in your closet._"

"_The boogeyman isn't real_"

"_There are no monsters under your bed._"

Only one is true.

Can you tell which?

* * *

"Bad dream last night?" questioned the magenta-haired woman.

Red's eyes widened as she stopped combing her short hair mid-stroke.

The woman beside her giggled "I could hear you fall out of bed," she said "Just what were you dreaming of?"

Red nervously continued combing her hair "It-it wasn't a dream or anything, Mom," she grumbled "I just slept a bit wrong."

"Probably from all those fantasy movies you watch, and with that vivid imagination of yours, I couldn't imagine having a single night of peaceful sleep," the mother applied a gentle coat of sheer lipgloss on her lips.

Red had to admit this was true, and that maybe her dream was just the result of the images she feasts her eyes on daily.

Glancing at the array of makeup on the bathroom counter before her, the young teen asked "Mom, you don't think any of this makeup is too flashy?"

The woman gave her a slight smirk "This coming from the girl whose hair is the color of a stop sign?"

Red's equally red eyebrow twitched.

"Ah, I'm just kidding," her mother said "You should be glad techni-colored hair is common amongst the women of our family," she said this pinching a tuft of her own magenta hair "And besides, you may want to try make up. It's not as time consuming as you'd think."

Having just applied the lip gloss, she gave her daughter a quick air-kiss before leaving the bathroom to go off to work.

Red's bespectacled green eyes scanned the makeup before her. In all honesty, she had never tried to use makeup. She always figured that in the hectic daily life of a high schooler, makeup would be an overlooked detail.

She picked up a bottle a pink gloss "_I'll never know unless I try…_"

* * *

"Ooh! What is this I see?" Raven teased as her brown eyes glinted.

Chase, at a more respectful distance than the dark-haired friend, merely tilted her head "Did you get new makeup?"

"Well it's certainly new," said Red.

"I like it!" cheerfully announced the blond "The pink really goes with your hair."

"So come on and tell us," Raven said, now walking backwards to fully face Red "Who's the lucky guy?"

Chase blushed faintly at the thought.

"No one," waved off Red "My mom suggested it."

"_Sure_ she did," said Raven "Come on, we won't tell. That would be breaking Girl's Code."

"Is it Cory?" asked Chase.

"Drake?"

"Kendall?"

"Fred?"

"Dave?"

"Guys!"

Now on the school grounds, Red decided to stop the two chattering girls "You both know that if there were a guy, I'd tell you, but I'm not saying any names now am I?"

Chase shook her head with a guilty look. Raven put her hands in her pockets.

"Alright then," Red huffed with a victorious smile on her face.

* * *

Red silently drew gentle gray strokes upon the paper. Each stroke elevated more and more as it began to build the small section of the big picture. "_In abstract pictures, one does not premeditate what to draw. One lets the hand naturally move to its own rhythm._" The words in Red's mind flowed just as freely as the lines on her paper. "_Your mind goes into zen mode: inner peace and serenity._"

Meanwhile, Chase and Raven sat in their own corner of the classroom.

"I wonder how she can keep focus like that even when we have free time," said Chase.

"I can't even focus on reading when two people are talking," said Raven "She can draw the Mona Lisa with a whole classroom talking." The girl's brown eyes then picked out a girl entering the classroom. With all the humming conversation in the class, Raven was forced to simply read her lips "Akane Tsukawa." she then looked in Red's direction. Red looked up from her drawing, put it away and got out of her seat. "Come with me." "O-Okay"

* * *

Her name was Marzia.

She didn't tell me what she needed me for or who sent her down, but I knew she had gotten my teacher's permission to let me out of the class.

"Don't worry, you're not in trouble!" even though her voice was cheerful, the atmosphere felt pretty heavy. No one else was in the halls and every little sound was like an earthquake. At this time of day, the halls we were in caught the shadows of the sun's light. And our halls had ceiling to floor windows.

Not only was that discomforting, but something about her hair made my head spin. It just pasts the incline of her waist and shined without any light. She was blond like Chase, only Chase's hair was near-white, this girl's hair was bordering brunette almost like a….golden caramel.

"Can I ask you a little question, Red?" she asked "It may be odd but I really need your honest opinion."

"S-sure…okay," I managed to say.

Keeping the same normal tone, she asked "How much do you think you could give up to save the person you love?"

She was right; it was _odd_. This was more like one of those "What if…" scenarios used on the internet to scare people. I guess it would seem like good fun to ask someone in real life, but this required a lot of thought.

"For my family…my friends…" I started out "Anything, really."

I could have sworn I heard Marzia make an uncomfortable grunt. With her walking in front of me, I couldn't see the face she was making.

"…"anything" you say?" her tone was suddenly so soft. It scared me. "Even if it changed who you are? Even if those people you love wouldn't see you as the same person anymore?"

My nerves froze and I suddenly stopped.

Marzia sensed this and turned around, her pitying eyes trying to maintain composure "I guess you and I are the same, huh?" she said.

She and I stood in silence for a few moments, then she turned back around and disappeared into the halls without me.

* * *

"Hey Chase, can I have some of your gummy bears?"

"But you still have some."

"I like the lemon ones better."

"But _I_ like the lemon ones even more."

"Come on, don't be like that."

The blue-eyed teen stuffed the last few yellow candies in her cheeks in one sweep.

"Ah! What a jerk move!" sighed Raven "Red, you'll lend me some of yours, right? Red? Red?"

The quiet girl jumped back into reality once she heard her name called for the third time.

"What's up?" asked Raven.

"Nothing…" said Red.

"Did you get in trouble?" asked Chase, speech somewhat muffled by her full mouth.

"No, what makes you think so?" asked Red.

"We saw that girl take you out of class," said Raven.

Red shivered just at the image.

"Do you know her?" asked Chase, somewhat hoping to make their trio a quartet.

"Well…not exactly," said Red.

"_Should I tell them?_"

"Not exactly?" repeated Raven, raising an eyebrow.

"I…uh…no, it's…no."

"What?"

"No it's stupid."

"Come on. No matter how "stupid" it may be, you can always tell us. Girl's Code."

Red hesitated and adjusted her glasses "Well, last night…I may have seen her in my dream."

Chase's eyes went wide. Raven simply looked intrigued.

"Deja Vu, you're psychic!" squealed Chase.

"Huh? No, no, there's no way," protested Red, already a little shaken by the recent events.

"You dream about a girl one night and then you meet her the next day. You're psychic!" objected Chase "What more proof do you need?"

"Hold on a minute Chase," said Raven "You may be right about that Deja Vu thing-"

"_You've gotta be kidding me!_"

"-but not about Red being psychic," finished Raven "Red may have met her before for a few seconds. Maybe dreaming about her the night before she met her again was just hardcore irony."

"_A little too ironic, though…_"

Chase had a somewhat disappointed look on her face.

Raven caught this and smiled "So sorry this isn't _That's So Raven_. No psychic friends for you tonight!"

All three girls laughed at that.

In the midst of the laughter, Chase's cell phone buzzed in her pocket. She read the message and calmed down her laughing just enough to say "Sorry guys, I have to go pick up my brother."

"Okay, see you later!"

"See ya! You owe me a bunch of yellow gummy bears!"

* * *

The white cat leaped in the dark as it tried to avoid the blue zaps. It's fur was already scorched black in quite a few areas, but that didn't hinder it's speed in evading the danger.

Meanwhile, it's attacker was in no rush as he casually threw arrow after arrow from his bow. The blue glow from laser arrows and its electric bow were the only things illuminating the dark and empty parking garage.

"_Help! Help!_"

* * *

Red stopped and clutched her head.

Raven turned around and stood beside her "Red? Red? What's wrong?" She then gasped as her own head rang with the same pleas.

"_Help! Help!_"

Red suddenly jumped to her feet and ran.

"Red!" Raven managed to yell out through the pain.

Red didn't falter or slow as she ran through the mall. People gave her funny looks as she zipped by and ran into the parking garage. It was only when she reached the most empty lot that she snapped out of her trance.

"_That voice…_" she thought "_Where have I heard it before?_"

"Help…"

Red gasped as she caught sight of a beaten white cat. She ran up to it as it struggled to run up to her. Just as she was about to pick it up, a blue laser arrow pierced the concrete.

She looked up and faced the blue-haired adolescent responsible for this. He wore a black skin-tight shirt with short sleeves and a turtleneck collar. His black leather pants merged with his black leather boots.

"Red!" Raven's voice called out as a trash can top met with the boy's frame.

Raven grabbed Red as the two ran away.

Neither spoke until they safely found an elevator to escape into.

"Red…" panted Raven "Who was that guy?…What was he doing?…Where did the cat come from?"

"One question at a time, Raven," panted Red "That guy was trying to kill this cat, I think. Somehow, I knew where he was…the cat, I mean."

Raven stopped panting and sobered a little more "Did you hear it too?"

Red's green eyes widened in epiphany.

Suddenly, the metal confines of the elevator washed out in an array of colors. Both girls stiffened and looked around.

"Red...!" Raven's voice trembled in fear "What is this?"

Red could only clutch the girl in panic.

"Tell me it's a dream, Red. Tell me it's a dream!" Raven exclaimed, growing more fearful.

"It is a dream."

Both girls froze as they recognized the voice. Red, however, froze even more when she recognized the androgynous figure before them.

Red released her friend "You…and that girl," she muttered "What is all this!?"

"This is the Dream World," it said "The only place I can be in my real body."

"Who…who are you?" asked Raven.

"I am Nanashi."

Red snorted "Nice try. I know that "nanashi" means "nameless"."

Nanashi looked to the short-haired girl "Ah yes. Of course you would know that being born in Japan, Akane Tsukawa."

"Wha..? How do you-"

"But of course, "akane" means "scarlet red" in Japanese, so you chose to be called Red once you moved to America," interrupted Nanashi.

"Why do you know that?!" snapped Red.

"I know everything about you two," said Nanashi.

Raven and Red shivered.

"Let's take a stroll, shall we?" said Nanashi, already walking deeper into this seemingly endless swirl of colors.

As the two girls followed, the androgynous deity spoke "The reason you two could hear me is because you must be destined to become Dream Catchers, warriors who only exist in this world."

"And where exactly is this world?" asked Raven.

"This world actually has many sections. As of now, we're in the outskirts of the Dream World, which is where moderators like me live," Nanashi explained "The Dream World, itself, is the place where everyone's dreams originate from. Every time you fall asleep, this is where your dreams spawn."

"I don't get it," said Raven "Moderators? Warriors? Dream World?"

"Ah, I guess I am going a bit too fast, aren't I?" said Nanashi "I suppose showing you would be easier…" Nanashi then drew a square on a wall neither Raven or Red could define. That square then became a great big screen through which all three could watch a scene play out.

A black stick-like figure with even more stick-like limbs crawled about in the city street like a giant spider at a frightening speed.

"This is one of our Dream Catchers, Russ, fighting off a virus-"

An adolescent boy in the same uniform as the blue-haired boy from before came into view. He swiftly blocked the stick figure's limbs with a lance nearly twice his own height.

"-that could leak into someone's dream and-"

Red gasped as the boy was knocked back by the monster. Raven also cringed. Neither were listening to Nanashi anymore. They were both concerned for the boy's condition.

He let out a gut-wrenching groan as a limb cut his arm.

"You have to get out of the way!" Red ran up to the "screen"

"Wait, Akane! Don't get too close-"

* * *

I screamed as I flew into the flurry of colors, but I quickly regained my composure, remembering what my mission was.

As soon as I saw the boy, I grabbed hold of him and swiped him out of harm's way. I then looked back at the monster…and then down at the lance.

I ran and grabbed the discarded weapon from the ground. Having one of the limbs right in front of me, I was able to impale it. It leaped back in pain and then began to attack. I was able to outrun it for the most part. Feeling more confident, I turned to land another hit, but a limb swiped me from my feet. I fell on the ground and the lance flew from my grasp. Before I could even think, three limbs were coming at me like darts. Instinctively, I shielded my face with my hand, but what happened next was very unexpected.

Fire came out of my hand.

The monster screeched as half of its limbs were blown to bits. It lost balance and fell to the ground. Still in shock, I stayed on the ground and just stared.

A male voice called my name "Red, are you okay?" I looked up to see a boy about my age in the same uniform that I've seen twice now. He had brown eyes and ink black hair. His face was very familiar.

"No…Raven?" I whispered. I then gasped as I realized a male voice had escaped my own lips. "R-R-Raven, are we…?"

The sound of metal scraping and the monster screeching deafened the both of us. We looked up and saw a guy also in uniform, holding a katana as he looked at the disappearing corpse of the monster.

He had dark hair and dark blue eyes "You two," he said as he whipped his gaze at us "Who are you?"

"Red…I-I-I mean-!"

"I'm Crow," interrupted Raven.

"Crow…Red," said the dark-haired boy. He then smiled "You guys just saved my friend," he then hoisted up the injured boy on his shoulders.

"S-Scott…?" he stuttered.

"Come on Russ. We'll have Snake fix you up," said the dark-haired boy. Scott looked back at us "Do you guys wanna rest at our place?"

"Uh-"

"Yeah," this time, _I_ interrupted. I just really wanted to make sure that boy was okay.


	2. Chapter 2

"Alright No Name, tell us what the hell just happened!" snapped Raven.

Yes, we were back to normal in my room with Nanashi in his cat form before us. Even though Nanashi was obviously genderless, I referred to him as a boy to make things easier. He doesn't seem to care about that detail, though.

"Upon entering the Dream World, you transformed into your Dream Catcher forms," he explained.

"Okay, just why are we Dream Catchers? And what are they exactly?" asked Raven.

"By some unknown force in the universe, people like you are selected to become soldiers to fight Viruses in the Dream World. These Viruses manifest themselves in people's minds and live on in the Dream World."

"So that spider-thing was a "virus"?" asked Raven.

"And it was made from someone's mind…?" I added.

"No matter how pure a human's mind may be, there will always be a crevice from which dark thoughts lurk," he said.

I shivered "Just what do you mean by…dark thoughts?"

"Any products of negative emotion such as stress and sadness," said Nanashi "If the Virus isn't defeated, it can evolve into something more intense. That's often how anger and suicidal thoughts are born."

His emotionless voice made his story all the more scary. I looked over to Raven, but she kept a stoic look on her face.

"But! As time progresses, our Dream Catcher force has improved. The results are phenomenal compared to when the world was first created!" announced Nanashi "People like you have done a great job for your kind. It's amazing."

I was able to soften at this enthusiastic compliment, but still, I really had to know one very important thing "What decides who becomes a Dream Catcher?"

The answer I received was almost as scary as the story of the Viruses.

"That's something I wonder everyday," he said "All I know is whoever made us moderators is still picking and choosing people to be Dream Catchers. I've noticed in pattern that all Dream Catchers are between the ages of twelve and thirty, and are only male."

"But we're girls!" snapped Raven.

"Your potential level as Dream Catchers must have been high enough for the choosers to overlook that minor detail," said Nanashi.

"It's no where near minor! I end up growing a di-!"

"Raven please!"

She huffed and sighed "I'm just glad those guys couldn't find out."

_-flashback-_

In a the front room of a flat, Red and Crow sat uncomfortably beside each other on the end of a love seat couch. They watched the teen they've gotten to know as Snake bandaging up the half-conscious Russ.

"So, I'm assuming you two met Nanashi already?" asked Snake.

His sudden voice in the fifteen minutes of deep silence nearly made the confused males jump.

"Er, yeah," answered Crow "We're new."

"I would think so," said Snake, looking at his work instead of his guests "And since that's the case, how about you guys stick with us?"

"Huh? You mean…_live_ here?" Red asked.

Snake looked at him for a brief second with an incredulous look before returning his eyes back to his work "No, I mean you join our alliance," he said "It started with just Scott and I. Neither of us wanted to hunt Viruses alone so we teamed up. Then we found Russ-" he then looked disapprovingly at his hands. He had made an error. His next words were "Hold on a sec," before he left his guests.

"Should we do it?" Red whispered once he was gone.

"Uhm…yeah," said Crow, who then gave his red-haired friend a stern look "But lets not tell them we're really girl-"

Red gasped a little when he felt a gentle hand touch his. He looked in front of him to see it was the still half-conscious Russ searching for his glasses.

"S-Snake?" he muttered.

He then opened his blue eyes at Red as his vision came into focus "You…" he said "You're the guy who…"

Red couldn't help but be enchanted by Russ's majestic appearance at the moment. His light brown hair was perfectly straight and clean. It spilled just barely over his relaxed face and his blue eyes nearly sparkled in the dim lighting of the late afternoon sun.

Finally finding the strength to snap out of his trance, Red handed the teen his glasses.

When he put them on, he blinked a few times as he tried to get a better look at the red-haired adolescent before him "Who are you?" he asked.

"Red…"

Russ tried to sit up only to wince halfway up at the exact moment that Snake came in.

"Wait, lay back down," he told him.

As his friend came to his aid, Russ muttered "Ow, what happened…?"

"You got a pretty deep cut in your arm and you bumped your head on the pavement," explained Snake "Wait for us to get there the next time."

After a few more minutes of Snake silently treated Russ's wound, Crow said "Well, we should get going now."

"Do you know how to get back?" asked Snake.

The boys shook their heads.

"Ah, you can use mine for now," he muttered before digging in his shirt pocket for a small trinket. He pulled out a small green dream catcher with a snake shape entwined in the strings. He stood and pressed it against the wall until a green light began to seep through his fingers. He then let go and the light-engulfed dream catcher quickly grew to the size of a door. Snak then looked at the two boys with a "go right in" look.

Red hesitated a lot more than Crow, but neither wanted to show that. With the red-head behind him, Crow pulled him by his shirt tail into the portal with them.

In what felt like a cool rush of water, they entered the elevator they abandoned the real world in and they had turned back into Red and Raven.

* * *

"Oh, that reminds me," two dream catchers then appeared in the girl's laps "These trinkets will take you in and out of the Dream World. I have one stored in my body and that's how I was able to transport you there myself today."

Raven's dream catcher was purple with a lightning bolt entwined in the strings. Red's was red with a flame shaped in the strings.

"Because most of our Dream Catchers are students, and to keep their identities a secret, they deal with Viruses at night," said Nanashi "But since one was defeated today, you two can stay in for the night."

"Say, Raven…" said Red "Do you want to sleep over tonight?"

"Sure."

* * *

In all honesty, I couldn't sleep at all.

The idea of monsters lurking in my mind scared me.

Had they always been there? Even when I was too young to think ill of anything? Even when I was too young to think at all?

Were they really born from my negative emotions? When I cried at the ending of a movie, was a Virus born then? When Mom comes home stressed from work, how many Viruses are born then?

If I'm living in constant fear of Viruses, do they grow in power….?

* * *

"So how does it sound?" Raven sat indian style, facing the metal fence while Red leaned against the door. They were on the roof today, utilizing Chase's absence to talk.

Nanashi, in his cat form, jumped into Red's lap.

"I can't believe no one can see you," she cooed nervously.

"Red," said Raven, more sternly this time "I said, how does it sound?"

A question the girl had been avoiding for quite some time and even Nanashi knew it.

"You can't avoid this, Akane. It's your responsibility," said the cat through his indirect communication.

Red's green eyes turned scrutinizing "My responsibility?" she repeated "You can't think of a better reason for me to commit to this?"

Raven turned her head around at her friend's sudden change of tone.

"I didn't ask to turn into a man every night and fight monsters," said Red "I don't want to be the one who has to make sure everyone's mind is clear of these things," She stood up, forcing Nanashi to leap off of her lap.

"Akane, don't you realize that if Viruses are left alone, they can evolve into worse negative emotions like-"

Red then placed her hands on her hips and fiercely glared at the cat "Negative thoughts are a natural thing that doesn't need this kind of attention."

Now Raven had fully turned around, amazed by her usually introverted friend's assertive behavior. But in all honesty, Red herself had no idea where this was all coming from either. However, she had dug herself too deep in this grave to back out now.

"So you refuse to work as a Dream Catcher…" said Nanashi.

Red only contained the irritated expression on her face as a reaction.

There was a very intense pause before Nanashi finally spoke again "Don't think you're the first one who's ever refused to work," he said "Some worked every night but trailed off until they completely quit. Some only work when it's convenient for them. Some, like you, never wanted to work from the beginning. You're very lucky that nothing can force you to work."

Despite the heavy feeling in the pit of Red's chest, her demeanor still seemed indifferent. Eventually, she grabbed her bag off the floor and exited through the door.

"Geez," she groaned tiredly as she trudged her feet down the empty hallway "_I can't believe I didn't see how stupid this is before. To extinguish all negative emotions is a totally useless cause,_" she thought.

"Red."

The familiar voice in the silence made her stop entirely. It took her a moment to hear the dainty yet dangerous foot steps approaching her from behind.

Whipping her head around, Red caught sight of Marzia walking up to her with the same vague indifference as the other day.

"M-Marzia…" was all Red could utter.

The caramel-haired teen's eyes scanned Red from head to toe without so much as a single facial muscle moving "I heard you ran into some trouble the other day."

Red squinted "_She knows something…_" she thought.

"I didn't," Red answered, trying to keep a calm tone.

Marzia's teal eyes seemed to intensify "That's not what I heard."

"Well you heard wrong," again, Red was surprised at her sudden abrasive side, as she normally would have shied away.

Marzia's aura seemed to soften "Red," she said "Don't try to sacrifice yourself for others. It's a useless effort."

Red's eyes stricken when she caught the similarity between what Marzia just said and what she was telling herself just moments ago. Still, she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of being startled.

"I have someone waiting for me," Red said coldly.

Marzia paused for a moment and then took a step back as if to say "I'll leave you alone."

Red took that hint and left.

* * *

Chase's bleach-blond hair was matted around her moist face. She hadn't even changed out of the pink jogging suit she had worn that day. When she came home that afternoon, she went straight into her room and tucked herself in bed, shoes and all.

Again, Chase's red swollen eyes brimmed with water. Her jaw ached as she struggled to keep a sob from escaping. Suddenly, just as she was on the brink of another outburst, something clicked. Her tears refused to spill and her jaw relaxed. Sobs returned to normal breath in her lungs.

The sadness, however, went nowhere. It simply converted into a motive.

* * *

"Red!" called out Raven as she dashed across the campus "Red!" Nanashi effortlessly clung to her backpack, the deity not adding any nagging weight. "I just saw her a minute ago. How did I lose her?" Finally, the black-haired teen stopped and scanned the ground from where she stood, soon spotting the bright hair of her friend in the distance.

Without even calling her name, Raven ran over to Red. "Girl!" she said "You dumped this cat on me!"

Red somehow felt relief that Raven approached her with such a light-hearted statement "Sorry," she said as they started walking.

Raven then blatantly scoped the area and whispered to Red "Hey, we've got important business to talk about. Your place or mine tonight?"

Red then stiffened. She was well-aware of Raven's blunt personality and quick thinking, but considering the recent events, everything normal seemed twisted in some way. "Yours," she said.

"'kay," said Raven, standing upright "Where was Chase today?"

"I don't know," said Red "I really hadn't noticed she was gone."

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay?" asked the voice of a concerned mother through the door Chase held open.

"Yeah I just need some fresh air," said the blonde "I won't stay out too late!"

"Okay, bye," was her mother's reply.

The smile on Chase's face soon fell as she slowly let the door close behind her and took an even slower walk away from her home.

* * *

Red sat at the swivel chair by Raven's computer. Raven herself lied on her stomach, in bed with Nanashi on her back.

"Listen Red, I know you're not feeling the whole Dream Catcher thing and I'm not gonna force you to do it," said Raven "But that doesn't mean I agree with you."

The short-haired teen could feel guilt rising in her gut.

"I'm going to keep working as a Dream Catcher," Raven then raised her chin up from the bed "And I'm going Virus Hunting tonight."

There was an intense moment of silence as Red let the image settle in her mind "O-Okay," she finally said.

"I only ask you one thing," said Raven.

Red raised her gaze at her friend again.

Raven smiled sheepishly "Can you come with me for moral support?"

"What! No!" said Red, pointing accusingly at the other "That's completely defeating the purpose of me not working at all!"

"But Red…!" whined Raven.

"Forget it!" huffed the bespectacled teen, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Geez," groaned Raven, flipping onto her back (forcing Nanashi to leap off his seat for the second time that day) "What's with this new tough girl gimmick? I don't care much for it."

Red flinched at this "_So it wasn't just my imagination…_"

"I may be able to explain that," said Nanashi "You see, you're the first _girls_ I've seen to be selected as Dream Catchers and, in the process, are forced into a sex change during transformation. The male hormones in your Dream Catcher state may be affecting you in your human state."

"What? So you're saying this attitude change is coming from a spike in testosterone?" questioned Red, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Then why didn't it happen to me?" asked Raven.

"You already have the abrasive side most females lack," explained Nanashi "Akane is more feminized than you are, therefore more changes in her body may occur."

"Eh?!" exclaimed both girls.

"Are you saying I'm less of a woman than Red is!?"

"Are you saying women can't be tough too!?"

"Girls! Girls! Girls! I'm only stating facts!"

"Oh shut up!"

Nanashi leaped off of the bed and dashed over to the closet to avoid the girls' banters "A-At any rate, thi-is is probably as far as the hormonal changes will r-reach," stammered the frightened deity.

"Better be," huffed Raven.

* * *

"Pick that spear up," said Scott.

Russ had been dragging his weapon as they walked, barely even noticing the noise it made. Now he pulled it up over his shoulders. Unlike his two comrades, he didn't have anything to hold his weapon and keep him hands-free.

"Isn't it kinda early to be Virus hunting now?" asked Snake.

Scott could only grunt and shrug, not having an excuse.

"So where's Nanashi? He's usually around for these Virus hunts," then asked Snake.

"I'm pretty sure we're gonna see less and less of him now," said Scott "He's probably gonna help out Red and Crow since they're new."

The named "Red" rang in Russ's ears. The blurry memory of the handsome red-haired boy nearly made his head spin. For some reason he didn't dare to question, Red stuck out the most in his mind than of both he and Crow.

"Russ!" whined Scott "You're dragging your spear again."

The brunette snapped out of his trance and flipped the weapon back to its place on his shoulders "My bad."

* * *

"Is that it?"

"Yes. The Virus Spot."

Red and Raven stood in the center of the park, where a small portion of concrete was covered by a swirling cosmo of colors.

"Will we automatically transform like the last time?" asked Red.

"No, the dream catchers I gave you will give you control of your powers," explained Nanashi "So just entering the Dream World isn't going to dictate your transformation."

Red relaxed.

"Then," Raven pulled the purple talisman from beneath her shirt "I should do this now." Red watched as a whirlwind of purple engulfed her friend. Beneath, she was able to catch glimpses of Raven's body changing. However, the process was quick, and soon stood the adolescent known as Crow.

He raised his hand up as static formed between his fingers "Nice," even his male voice held some similarity to his female counterpart "Come on." He stepped right into the colors, disappearing into the other world in seconds. Red prepared her body for the cold rush of water-like energy and jumped in as well.

* * *

**I keep going over the word limit before I finish the episode! (yes, I put each story on a KB/word limit to have consistancy).**  
**Well I really don't have much to say about this chapter or the progress of the story other than you don't see many anime genderbents where a girl actually turns into a guy. So I guess that's different**


	3. Chapter 3

Just like the last time, neither made a proper landing.

Red heard Crow gasp. When she looked up, she saw why.

Instead of the "Abandoned City" scene they entered the last time, around them was what looked like a dark lair of some sort. There was only so much light coming from seemingly nowhere to see the polished tile floor. The possible walls and the ceilings were hidden in the dark.

"A house is the most common symbolism in dreams because it represents the dreamer itself," stated Nanashi "The Virus has taken nest in this house and is infecting the dreamer. So you must find and execute it to heal the house."

"Find it and kill it, huh?" Crow snapped his fingers to create a small lightning bolt as a source of light "Alright Red, let's get moving."

The scarlet-haired girl followed, looking in all directions as they walked in curiousity. The prolonged silence was murderous. Only the sound of footsteps and the hum of Crow's lightning bolt filled the air. Red quickly missed the silence when she heard a high-pitched growl.

Crow stopped "Sounded like it came from up there," he gasped, looking at the broad stair case in the distance "Let's go!"

"Eh!?" Red's surprised exclamation didn't stop Crow from venturing on, forcing Red to scramlble to after him. For some reason, she couldn't help but notice how difficult it was to keep up with Crow. Crow ran notably faster and longer than his female counterpart. Red struggled to catch up to speed.

"Dream Catchers run twice the speed of an average human," said Nanashi, who effortlessly clung to Red's shoulder.

"Trying to convince me to change my mind, eh?" she said between pants.

"All I'm saying is that this wouldn't be a problem if you transformed," he said.

Red huffed and said "I don't need to turn into a man to be fast," she mustered one last spurt of energy as she ran up the stairs after Crow. This wasn't easy on her already aching feet. There were several escalating steps and they weren't spread that far enough. Red struggled to keep her speed without slipping and taking a hard fall.

When she saw Crow disappear over the peak of stairs, a sudden spark of competitiveness struck in Red. Red's feet no longer ached. Red's breathe evened out. Red didn't struggle for anything. Finally, Red was facing Crow again. However, the dark-haired teen looked at his comrade in confusion "You changed your mind?" he asked.

"What?" Red clasped his own mouth when he heard the male voice the escaped his lips once again.

"Mr. Red," sheepishly said Nanashi "It appears your adrenaline rush triggered your male hormones…and you transformed."

Red huffed in defeat.

"Well now that you're like this, would you mind giving me a hand with the lighting?" asked Crow.

Red tried to duplicate Crow's actions and snap his fingers to create a flame. When that didn't work the first time [or the next fours times after], he held out his open hand in frustration and formed a fire ball in his palm.

"Alright, where do we go now?" asked Crow.

"Uhm…" Red walked around and redirected the fire in several areas "Tch, this light's not doing any good. This place is way too dark and too big to see more than two feet in front of YOU!"

Crow gasped when his scarlet-haired teammate was suddenly snatched into the darkness. In desperation, he ran blindly in that direction. He was then faced with Red dangling upside down, tied up in thick pink ropes.

"Red?! What happened?!" exclaimed Crow in shock.

"How should I know!?"

"Alright, stay calm. Just burn the ropes!" called out Crow.

"Then _I'll_ burn, you idiot!" the troubled teen snapped.

"_Shoot, she's right_…" thought Crow "_Where's the rope even leading to?_" He didn't have to focus his eyesight that much to see the rope got swallowed up by the darkness.

"This Virus is a smart one," said Nanashi "It must have sensed our presence and set up traps."

Crow looked down to the feline "Will the traps disappear once we kill the Virus?"

"Yes," said Nanashi.

"You hear that Red?" called out Crow.

"What about traps?" asked Red.

"Nanashi here says if I kill the Virus, it'll let you go!" declared Crow.

"So you're just going to leave me here!? exclaimed Red.

"You want to get down from there, don't you?" snapped Crow.

"Fine, go, but don't take so long. I'm getting sick up here," said Red.

Without another word, Crow ran bravely into the darkness.

After some time, he started noticing walls coming and leaving his view. He slowed down "_Don't tell me I'm gonna hit a dead end_," he thought.

Suddenly, the familiar high-pitched growl resonated in his ears.

* * *

Red uttered a low agonized moan as he swung gently back and forth in his binds "This sucks…"

Suddenly he heard footsteps, but of more than one person.

The first person that came into view was…

"Russ?" he said.

"Red?!" said the confused male "Guys, come here!"

The other two pairs of footsteps hurried their pace until Snake and Scott came into view.

"What the…? Is that the guy from yesterday?" questioned Scott, squinting.

"It's Red," stated Russ.

"Oh, him..." said Snake, recalling the memory.

"Geez, he's too far up to cut down…" muttered Russ as he looked at his own spear "Hey Snake, try to use your chain up the wall."

"Right."

Snake placed his open palm on a wall. The arrow snake tattoo that coiled around his arm glowed and slithered off of his limb and onto the wall. It glided up the concrete and stopped just in front of the pink rope. As Snake focused, the arrow snake wavered for a few seconds before turning into a chain with the snake head turning into a blade. It lashed out at the rope with perfect precision and made a clean cut.

The tied up Red fell into Russ's arms.

"Phew…" Russ sighed in relief "Are you okay, Red?"

The boy stayed silent with his eyes only half-way open.

"I'm guessing the blood rushed to his head while he was up there," said Snake "And that fall just now didn't help either."

"Oh…" Russ said, with a hint of disappointment.

As Snake retrieved his weapon, Russ placed Red on his back.

"If Red doesn't wake up, you guys will have to fight the Virus without me," he declared.

"What, you're just gonna throw this one on us?" whined Scott.

Russ's glasses glinted with an intimidating glare "Yes I am," he said.

Scott, almost taken aback by the subtle gesture, simply grunted "Fine."

* * *

Crow slipped and fell into a mesh of pick ropes. "What the…?" he muttered as he grabbed a handful "It's all soft like…sowing thread."

Suddenly, lights flashed on, revealing what looked like a grand stadium with a spider web of pink thread.

"It knows we're here," said Nanashi.

Before Crow could respond, a woman-like figure dropped from the nonexistent ceiling and positioned herself strategically over the web. Upon further inspection, it could be seen that the woman's limbs were made of giant sowing needles and the torso and head were composed of pin cushions.

"Ah, well this one's less scary than the last one," said Crow, sparking bolts between his fingers "Doesn't make it any less creepy…"

Like a lasso, he quickly snapped a bolt at the "arm" of the Virus. Being metal, it caused the Virus much pain, causing it to flail about. As it did, Crow parkoured his way about the arena to avoid the needle limbs, even flipping about the web itself.

* * *

"I heard it this way," said Scott as the three teens ran down the hall. Despite using half of his strength the carry Red, Russ still managed to keep up with his other comrades. Snake, however, did have to carry his weapon.

Finally, they stopped when they entered the opening of the stadium, which was littered with pink thread.

Crow, whose uniform was now torn in several areas, jumped back down to ground level on the other side of the stadium. "_I'm not gonna get anywhere just zapping it like this_," he thought "_If I could just get a high enough voltage-_"

In that moment, Scott escalated up the threads of the web, eventually landing on a "leg" of the Virus. The Virus tried to kick him away, only succeeded in giving him enough air to make a high jump and come down on it with his katana.

"_Or that…That also works_," Crow thought.

Aftewards, two of Snake's chains pierced the torso.

"_That right there...also a great idea_," Crow thought.

* * *

The scarlet-haired male woke up with his face buried in Russ's chest. Russ, himself, was watching his teammates conclude the fight.

The moment Red gained full consciousness, he sprang up as all the memories flooded in "What the- What happened?" he said to himself.

"You passed out," answered Russ "You feel alright now though, right?"

"Yeah…" said Red, nervously running his fingers through his hair.

After an uncomfortable moment of silence between the two, Russ finally said "I know Snake probably already asked this but, since you're new…do you want to join our alliance?"

"Well…" Red's mind raced to find reasons for him to say either yes or no. Yes, because he and Crow just proved to be incapable of Virus hunting on their own. Yes, because Crow already agreed to do so. No, because being this close may reveal that their identity as girls. No, because they don't know them that well and they might not have good intentions with that information. No, because….something about Russ made Red's chest burn.

"Done," announced Scott, as he approached the two and swung his katana into his pack behind him.

"That was quick," said Russ as he stood up and stretched "Hey Snake, where's my spear?" he asked just as the taller adolescent approached them.

"Oh, I think I lost it," he said.

"That's the third time," groaned Russ "I know they respond when we transform, but seriously."

"That's what you get for not helping," teased Scott, yet using a serious tone.

Finally, the last of the Dream Catchers approached "Red!" Crow dropped to his knees before Red "How'd you get out?"

"Of course you'd ask how I got out before asking if I was okay," said Red, half jokingly.

"Er, sorry. You okay?" asked Crow.

Red smiled "Yep."

Nanashi, now in his full-body form walked past them as he said "The Virus of the mind of Chase Morrison, who suffered great grief from the loss of her grandmother. On the brink of suicide-"

"_Wait….Chase?_" Crow thought "_No…there's no way. That has to be another Chase_."

Meanwhile, the other four boys were listening as Nanashi narrated the tale of this girl, even though the deity was really talking to himself.

"God…" rasped Scott.

Snake's gaze lowered as his hand covered the lower half of his face.

Russ's blue eyes fawned over with a solemn glare "It's moments like these that make you remember how important this job is…." he said just barely above a whisper.

At this statement, Red suddenly looked up "But we were able to stop it," he said.

So immersed in the sad tale, not everyone fully heard him.

"You realize we just stopped someone from committing suicide, right?" said Red as he stood up "You're right Russ, being a Dream Catcher should be taken seriously. So the answer to your question is yes."

"Uhm, what question?" he asked.

"To join your alliance," Red stated.

Soon after feeling satisfaction of gaining Red's yes, Russ couldn't help but become swayed by the determined spark in Red's green eyes. Once he realized a few too many seconds had passed since Red responded, Russ replied with a "Good…that's great to hear."

* * *

Raven swirled her straw in her cup idly "Sudden change of heart?"

Red bit down her her straw "This isn't something to be ignored." Being the only two in the cafe, their voices practically echoed off of the walls.

"But weren't you the one who said negative emotions are a natural thing and don't need this kind of attention?" quoted Raven, before sipping her beverage.

"Well Russ made me realize just how important it is," said Red, crossing her legs beneath the table.

"Russ?" at this point, Raven lifted her head from her cup "What did Russ say?"

"You didn't hear him?" questioned Red in near-disbelief "While Nanashi was talking about the Virus, Russ said "It's moments like these that make you remember how important this job is.""

Raven took another long sip "I'm pretty sure only _you_ heard that."

"Either way, he's still right," pressed Red "If there's a way to prevent people from committing suicide, what reason do we have _not_ to do it?"

Raven's face sobered "Red…" she said, causing the other to stiffen at the sudden change of demeanor "You don't think that Chase was…_our_ Chase, do you?"

Red's blood ran cold. It never registered in her mind that the girl's name was Chase.

"I mean, she was absent today," said Raven.

Red felt a shiver run down her spine "I-I…" she stammered before pausing "We'll...we'll check on her tomorrow morning, it's too late to go see her now," she finally said.

Raven nodded and continued to drink. Red could see she was doing this so she wouldn't have to speak again. It was a pretty dark topic.

"Raven, did you…dye your hair?" Red asked. It was both her first time noticing and a way to lighten the mood.

"No," said Raven.

"Did you always have those blonde highlights?" asked Red now pointing.

"What? Where!?" questioned Raven, getting flustered.

Red pulled a hand mirror from her purse and handed it to her friend without a word.

Raven inspected herself. On each side of her face were two long bangs of hair that met in an asymmetrical part in her hair. Now those bangs, and the part, were blonde.

"When did this happen?!"

Nanashi, who had been sitting on Red's lap, now spoke up "Your Dream Catcher state has been known to change portions of your genes, even in pedestrian form," he said "You couldn't see this, but the frontal part of your hair turns blond whenever you used your electric powers. But it covered much more of your hair than that. Your hair in your female state may blond more as time goes."

"What? You didn't say anything!" snapped Raven "Why doesn't this happen to Red?!"

"It does," said Nanashi "Have you ever noticed Akane's glasses disappear in her Dream Catcher form, yet she can still see?"

As pointless as it was, Red couldn't help but touch her glasses "I never even noticed…" she said "Then why doesn't that happen to Russ? He wears glasses."

"Because you two are females who turn into males, your genes are trying to catch up with your lack of testosterone. So this blonding hair and improved eyesight are things that only happen to you, not your average Dream Catchers," Nanashi explained.

Raven huffed and said "Well at least it looks good," as she toyed with it.

"It really does," said Red, smiling.

* * *

The golden street lights bathed Scott's sleeping body in the dark. After such a tiring day of school and Virus hunting, he was ready to go straight to bed and have no more interruptions.

Thump.

Scott turned to his side in reaction to the soft noise.

Scuffle. Thump.

This time, Scott's brown eyes fluttered open at the disturbance. He could feel a presence in the room. Without thought, he immediately sat up in bed and faced the figure in the corner of the room.

"Shit…"

"What…? What the hell Snake!" Scott scolded, tossing a pillow at the teen.

Snake easily avoided the pillow "Didn't mean to scare you," he said.

"What are you doing here!?" Scott demanded.

"I left some of my clothes here from the last time," said Snake, stepping into the light of the window "And you left your portal open in the Dream World. I was only going to step in and step out."

Scott sighed and buried his face in his hands.

"Geez, you're lucky it was just me and not a burglar," said Snake, calmly folding his clothes "You just sat right up and started yelling."

"That's because I knew it was you," said Scott, semi-lying.

After a few moments of silence, Snake asked "Hey Scott, do you think Russ, ah...do you think Russ _likes_ that guy?"

"Who, Red?" questioned Scott, incredulously "What makes you say that?"

"Well it's the little things you catch on to," said Snake.

"He helped the guy get out of a Virus trap, what are you talking about?" Scott flatlined.

"It's not just that," said Snake, sitting down on the edge of the bed "You have to look closer than that."

"Tch, just how close are you looking?" Scott snorted.

"Not close, it's pretty familiar to me," said Snake, laying on his back "Since I used to see it in you all the time."

He could catch a glimpse of Scott's cheeks flushing pink before the brunette stubbornly turned his face away.

"Especially the way he looks at Red...just like you."

"Swear to god, Snake, don't start."

"Start what?"

"Those cliche Ryan Gosling one-liners to get me out of my pants."

Snake turned so he'd be on all fours, facing Scott "So you know the same old tricks, huh?" he leaned in "And yet they work every time…" their lips connected. Scott wanted to pull back and resist. He wanted to say he was too tired and needed to sleep. He wanted to tell Snake to save it for another time, but as always, he became too entranced by the sweet taste. Scott was too caught up in the heat and energy between him and his lover. Pretty soon, he was on his back with a familiar hand running up his shirt.

At some point, Snake parted from the kiss to briefly take off his own shirt and toss it aside.

"You're just going to leave your clothes here again," said Scott.

"That's okay," said Snake, wiping saliva off of his chin "I'll just come back," he then lowered down and whispered "If you decide to leave your portal open again…"


	4. Chapter 4

Red and Raven stood on the roof, practically watching over the campus like majestic gargoyles. Being the only ones there, they silently accounted for every movement or sound around the school.

"How do we even know Chase will come to school today?" asked Raven.

"How do we know she _won't_?" shot back Red "And if she does, we need as much time as possible to talk to her, before classes start and before anyone can interrupt us."

Raven sighed a little. She did share the same amount of concern as Red did, but she couldn't deny how unprepared she was to be up so early. She sat on the cold concrete and pulled out her cell phone to pass the time. The message ringtone rang the moment she had it in her grasp. Her eyes widened "Ch-Chase…?!"

Red whipped her head around "What?"

"I got a message from Chase," said Raven.

Red practically leapt to her side and leaned over her friend to see the phone.

"_Hi guys, sorry I won't be going to school today. :( I haven't been feeling well lately, but I'll be back tomorrow! Promise!_"

Red and Raven sat in an undeterminable silence, not sure how to feel. Although they should've been relieved, they felt this message was very anticlimactic in comparison to the recent events they've witnessed.

Red's eyes abandoned the screen when she heard a familiar pair of footsteps.

Marzia stood there, looking nowhere else but in their direction.

At this moment, Red snapped, jumping to her feet "What do you want?!"

Raven, hardly recognizing the girl let alone understanding her significance, looked on in surprise.

"A little birdy told me you were still trying to be the hero," said Marzia.

"Enough with the vague warnings already!" ordered Red "How do you know all of this and for god's sake, why do you keep pestering me?!"

Marzia seemed to put on a faint mock "offended" look "Well now, I shouldn't tell you how I'm getting my information. But if you see my warnings as "pestering", then I'm sorry, but I won't let you go on unarmed-"

"What did I just say about being vague?" growled Red.

Marzia's eyebrows jumped a bit, as if to say "Wow, rude." Instead she bluntly said "Being a Dream Catcher, Red. I know it's tempting to want to be the hero and help people, and sometimes you even get a sidetrack reward. But I'm telling you know…" she seemed to choke up a bit "…You were right before; trying to save everyone is a useless cause. Of course there's going to be hatred and despair! Peace of mind can never be guaranteed!" her voice escalated "You're going to want to save everyone but you can't. And some people aren't even worth saving. You'll be risking your _own_ peace of mind and your life for people who won't even know you ever existed!"

The tension was high, even Raven right now was standing with quivering knees. Red's eyes were shadowed by her scarlet hair, her expression undeterminable the entire time. Finally, she raised her head "Wow, selfish much?" she said "You seriously think some people aren't worth saving? You practically just said some people deserve to feel suicidal."

At that statement, Marzia gritted her teeth as though she were genuinely offended now.

"And you really think I care about getting credit out of all of this?" continued Red "If you really have that kind of mindset, you may as well turn in your dream catcher right now," she finished off, holding her own red one.

Marzia glared for a moment before turning on her heels and walking away. For the first time, Red noticed her step was more aggressive and blunt.

"Who was that girl?" quietly asked Raven minutes after Marzia left.

Red sighed through her nose "No one important," she said, picking up her bag.

Of course, Raven was dissatisfied with this answer "But Red-"

"Come on, Chase isn't coming to school," said Red "And since we're early, we can head over to the cafeteria for the breakfast bar."

"Red-"

"They've got bagels~"

Raven sighed, noticing the pattern "Fine."

* * *

Scott slowly opened his eyes, letting the morning sun sting them. He felt a heavy arm around his waist. His gaze then traveled to the clock, which displayed an early time "_Thank god they're not up yet,_" he thought.

He lifted Snake's arm off of him and began to sit up. He flinched halfway and fell back onto the bed "Shit…" he muttered in pain.

Being woken up by the movement, Snake's blue eyes went to the source "What's wrong?" he hushed.

"Agh, it hurts," Scott groaned into the pillow.

Snake held back a smirk as he realized what that meant "So sad," he teased.

"You did it way too hard last night!" Scott continued to whine "I swear, one day you're gonna break me in half."

"Then don't scream for more if you can't handle it," said Snake, sitting up and stretching "Not only that, but you woke up your dad being loud like that."

Scott's face burned as he remembered the sound of his parents' door opening followed by his father's faint "I thought I heard something…"

Snake got up from the bed and grabbed the shirt he disgarded last night.

Meanwhile, Scott winced more in pain as he slowly sat up in bed.

Snake looked at him, halfway through buttoning his pants "Are you gonna be able to walk to school today?" he joked.

"If I don't, you're driving me," said Scott with a bitter grin.

"Oh sure, my car's in Minnesota, I'll bring it right here to New York," said Snake, grabbing his dream catcher from his pocket to create a portal.

"While you're there, get a better sense of humor," Scott drawled into the pillow.

Snake stepped away from the portal and pulled up Scott's head, giving him a brief kiss before saying "Same" and leaving.

* * *

Red gritted her teeth, holding back a pained moan. Her hair clung to her face and neck from sweat and no matter what position she stayed in, that soft bed of her just wasn't enough to ease to pain.

It was that time of the month again.

"_Cruddy pills don't do anything for me anymore,_" she thought bitterly. She exhaled with a hurt look on her face "_It's always the first day that's the worst._" Red's pitiful eyes traveled over to the red dream catcher that sat on her cell phone on the nightstand. She came to a stand still as she studied the trinket.

"No," she said, turning her head back "That's just dumb." She took off her glasses to see just how wet they were from sweat "_Then again, nobody's home_…" her eyes went to the dream catcher again.

* * *

Raven paused just before the house "Red's parents aren't here," she said to herself as she noticed the empty parking lot. Nanashi took comfortable residence around her shoulders. Still hopeful, Raven walked up to the porch and rang the doorbell.

"You don't think Red _and_ her parents went somewhere all together?" the dark-haired girl asked the feline.

"I don't know," replied Nanashi.

Not long after, the girl was surprised to come face to face with the rough "Hey Raven!" from the man she saw in the Dream World.

"R-R-Red?!" stammered Raven, who then looked around in a paranoid manner "What are you doing in your male form!?" she whispered "Did anyone see you!?"

"Relax, no one's home," said Red "Come on in."

Raven apprehensively walked in "Why did you transform?"

Red's laid-back attitude slowly sobered.

Raven caught this "Red what's wrong?"

Red sighed uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Come on, you know you can tell me anything," softly said Raven with a small smile "That's Girl's Code."

"Tch, may as well start calling it Guy's Code," joked Red, hoping to get away from the topic.

"Then Guy's Code," said Raven "Either way, you can still tell me anything."

Red sighed again in defeat, softer this time.

Raven's reaction to Red's story was nothing spectacular. She was silent for a moment, her face stuck in the accepting smile for a short while as she was unsure what to say to something so embarrassing. Afterward she put on a neutral face and nodded "Ah, I see..."

"Pretty trivial use of your powers, Mr. Tsukawa," said Nanashi.

"Ah shut up," said Red "No harm done. I may consider doing this every month. You should do it too, Raven."

Raven blushed at the idea "Uh, Red I don't think-" The girl's sentence was cut off by the brief sound of fabric ripping.

Red looked down to catch a glimpse of his T-shirt ripped down the collar.

"Well if you're going to abuse your male form like this, you may as well purchase the clothes to fit the body," said Nanashi "Your everyday female wear won't do."

"Thank god my dad stays fit," said Red, inspecting the tear some more "I can probably borrow a few outfits and he won't notice." As he said that, he began to walk back upstairs where the bedrooms were while Raven followed behind.

Red swung open the bedroom door and casually entered the walk-in closet, whistling "I wish I had one of these," he said "Then again, I guess Mom and Dad deserve it since they have to share a closet. Am I right?"

He thought he had been talking to Raven, but he turned around to find emptiness.

He walked back out to see Raven standing at the doorway "What's wrong?"

Raven nervously scratching the side of her face "Uhm…I feel like I shouldn't be seeing you…undressing…now that you're a man," she blushed lightly.

"Oh," said Red, not even considering that fact. He could have assured Raven that it was okay, but decided to respect her wishes.

He simply went back into the closet and began taking off his clothes as he approached his father's side of the clothes racks.

The first thing Red grabbed was one of his father's many thin polo shirts. Next he searched for an ordinary pair of jeans, which was harder to find considering most of the closet consisted of fancier attire. Finally, Red found a black pair of jeans.

As Red put the two clothing items on him, he paused when he noticed the mirror.

"_Wow, I'm…really muscular…_" his eyes scanned the slender muscles in his reflection. He continued putting on the clothes, but slower so that he could catch each movement of his body in the mirror. He almost regretted having to button up the polo and covering the last bit of skin.

"_Did I just_…" He then mentally cringed when he realized he what he had done "_It doesn't count since I'm really a girl. And I really do, in fact, like guys. So it shouldn't count. I'm entitled to admiring a man's body._"

Unfortunately, one thought dismissed that entire argument "_But it was still my own body._"

"Red," Raven's voice sounded tense.

The male exited the closet without hesitation.

The dark-haired girl had her hands crossed over her chest "Have you ever wondered if Nanashi knows anything about Chase?"

"What?" said Red "Raven, you can't still be worried about that. She texted us last week-"

"Do you really think she'd tell us she almost killed herself?" interrupted Raven "She just didn't want us to worry."

Both adolescents stared down the feline.

"Well Nanashi...?"

"Ask any question, I'll answer," he said.

"Who was that "Chase" you were talking about last week?" asked Red.

"Chase Annabelle Doleson..."

Before he could say more, Raven and Red had their fair share of agonized non-verbal reactions.

"I assume you are not very content with this," said Nanashi softly "I understand."

Raven's face began to twist in the beginnings of a sobbing fit, but she stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey," rasped Red "We saved our best friend from taking her life. Because of us, she's still here and she's happy now."

Raven was silent for a moment as she let that sink in. She wiped away a tear before it came "I know that but," she shuddered "The fact that it happened to her…"

Red's eyes sobered "I know," he said "But don't dwell on that. We fixed it, right Nanashi?"

"Right. When you and the others killed the Virus, not only did it take away her desire to kill herself, but it replaced that despair with a feeling of fulfillment," explained Nanashi "Whatever reason she had to be upset is now replaced with a reason to move on and stay strong."

It wasn't often that Nanashi spoke in anything other than technical terms. Instances like this made Red and Raven stare in awe at times.

"So…so this won't happen to her again?" asked Raven, her voice more stable now.

"Well, of course new sorrows will come into her life, but this one won't," said Nanashi "Despair is like a weed; it must be taken by the root to keep it from growing back."

"Which is exactly what we did," said Red, both proud and still trying to comfort Raven.

It worked, because the girl smiled "Yeah…we did."

Red then stood before her "On a lighter note, how do I look?"

Raven giggled "Kinda dressy."

"Hey, just be glad it's not sagging pants and cheap snapbacks," Red said "I'm lucky Dad works in an office."

"I'll give you that," said Raven, shrugging.

"So what're you going to wear?" asked Red.

"Eh?"

"Doesn't your brother still live with you? Maybe you could sneak some clothes from him," continued Red.

"Er, Red I didn't really agree to transform for the same reason you did," said Raven, modestly "Besides, what about our Dream Catcher uniforms alone?"

"Oh come on Raven. We can't go around town looking like secret agents."

"What? "Around town"? What makes you think I meant anything like that?!" gasped Raven.

"You can't be telling me you've never considered what life would be like as a guy," said Red.

"What!?" exclaimed Raven.

"Of course not as a permanent lifestyle," said Red, realizing how wrong his statement sounded "I'm saying that now we can turn into guys. Hasn't it ever crossed your mind what would happen if you just, y'know, were a guy for a day?"

"No Red! That's just you and your crazy thinking!" said Raven.

Red casually walked over to the window as he spoke "What's the worse that could happen? No free drinks at the bar? Guess again 'cause we're not even old enough," he opened the curtain and stepped aside to show the view "All I'm saying is that it'd be a pretty interesting experiment, don't you think?"

Raven chewed her lip nervously.

"It's not like I'm gonna let you do it alone," reassured Red "If it's getting caught you're afraid of, then you really have nothing to worry about. We'll just tell our parents we're hanging out as usual and transform once we get to the meeting spo-"

"Alright," said Raven, although still with a somewhat apprehensive look on her face.

Red smirked in triumph "Saturday," he said.

Raven only nodded.

* * *

The tip of his shoe hung over the edge of the building. He showed no fear, though as his eyes carelessly gazed over the lit up city. His body was still as a statue with the exceptance of the air teasing his black hair, which, against the city lights, revealed a brown undertone.

"Forget it," he said, the lollipop stick staying in perfect place in his mouth.

Far behind him, on a safer region of the roof, was a teal-haired man of his young age "Come on, you should be the one begging for this spot," he said "Hardly anyone gets asked to be into the Star Squad. And we're actually the ones admitting that we need someone of your expertise."

The candy flavors bled onto his taste buds, making his cheeks sting from the sour flavor.

"Do you have any idea how much you could benefit from this?!" suddenly snapped the teal-haired boy when all he received was silence.

"Power ain't that special," finally replied the dark-haired boy "At least not as special as you think."

"What are you talking about?! Power is the most important thing!" said the boy, still as hot-tongued as before "Don't act so high and mighty. You know you want it too."

Jagged pieces of broken candy poked the insides of his cheeks and stuck to his teeth and he bit down on the dwindled treat.

The teal-haired boy groaned "You know what? I'm almost glad you're refusing to join us. You've proved to be a pretty arrogant piece of shit the entire time I tried to convince you. Like I'd want you on our team anyway."

"Didn't you just get finished talking about how much you _needed_ me?" said the dark-haired boy.

The teal-haired boy's eyes widened in realization of his mistake. He then gritted his teeth in irritation and turned on his heels "I hope those rifles of yours run out of bullets one day."

The dark-haired boy swallowed the chunks of candy as he listened to the other's departing footsteps.

* * *

**Red as a boy looked like a red-haired Natsuru Senou at first in my mind and now he's starting to look like Rin Matsuoka omg...**

**By the way, the Dream World is virtually like a hub. So pretty much every character here lives in different places around the U.S. but the Dream World acts as a central meeting place. Makes sense? I hope so.**


End file.
